Calm Before the Storm
by StayAlive
Summary: A story of a trio of friends and the hardships they face as they travel the worlds and try to discover the secrets of their master. Watch for spoilers for BBS. Some parts may be from trailers.
1. Prologue

**AD: I have been thinking about this story for a long time, but since I'm known for updating a bunch of stories and never finishing them I decided to No matter how you vote, I'll still work on all of the stories I am working on now, but I'll mainly post the winning story in the poll. So please vote or it'll all be a confusing mess, which one I'll decide to update. I think the prologue will have two parts I found on a trailer. I think it's a little surprising and interesting. Hopefully you readers will want to read more!**

**Also, I would like everyone to know that this is probably not like Birth by Sleep coming out, but I think a little might be **_**like **_**it. Just don't review telling me how bad it is cause it's nothing like Birth By Sleep. I've seen a few trailers to get to know the trio a little, but please be nice in your reviews. Thanks!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Most ideas, but no characters and other ideas right off of BBS.**

**WARNING: Watch for some SPOILERS!**

**The Calm Before the Storm**

**Prologue**

"It's a lie."

"Don't be fooled, Ven!" Aqua called running towards him.

"Aqua!" Ven exclaimed shocked to see his friend.

"Terra isn't like that…You know that!"

Ven nodded and they both looked up as the woman above them began to speak.

"But, the truth is hard to hear."

_*_

"I'll ask again," Aqua said dangerously quiet. She stood alone with Maleficent in the thorn forest. "Was what you said to Ven, a lie?"

"It was all true. Terra needs darkness to gain the power he wants."

"That's not true!" Aqua cried summoning her Keyblade. She jumped back as green flames suddenly engulfed Maleficent and a dragon replaced her. "Terra does not find power in darkness!"


	2. Her Keyblade

**AD: I'm surprised how long it took me to figure out the full first actual chapter. Thank you so much to all of my reviewers, old and new! I love all of you guys, for, I said it before and I'll say it again, you guys are all my inspiration. As is the new opener I just found for BBS. I'm probably on my 100****th**** time watching it, LOL.**

**Well, enjoy the third chapter!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

**Enjoy!**

Aqua stood nervously in front of two men who both stared at her. She was new to this world: Radiant Gardens. They, the two men, had spotted her wondering around and convinced her to come to the building they were now standing in. Aqua frowned at the lack of information.

"Are you sure you saw it in her?" the younger of the two, a man with black hair asked his elder, a tan man with a gray beard.

The older man nodded slowly, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "I am quite sure. Maybe if we put her with the boys she will show her power enough so that even you will see it, Eraqus."

Said man nodded in return. He turned to Aqua. "Come with me, young one. It is time to see if you are a fake…or not."

Aqua's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing and did as she was told as Eraqus started off. "What were you talking about?" she asked curiously.

"In a little while I guess we shall both see," he said. "What is your name, by the way? I don't believe I caught it."

"I didn't say it. It's Aqua."

Eraqus looked down at her. "Pleasure. Mine is Eraqus."

They turned a corner and stopped in front of two large double doors.

"Where are we?" Aqua asked.

Eraqus looked up at the doors. "We're outside of the training rooms. The boys should be working inside. Come."

The doors opened allowing them entrance. In the center of the nearly empty room, were two boys around Aqua's age. They fought back and forth with each other using Keyblades. They laughed when the other scored a hit or preformed a move.

"Terra, Ven, come over here," Eraqus called over to them. The boys stopped immediately, their keys faded with a blink of light. They raced over, trying to beat the other, but quickly skidded to a stop in front of Erauqs and Aqua.

"Hey," the shorter blonde boy said. His eyes were bright blue and friendly.

"Aqua, this is Ventus," he said motioning to the blonde boy.

"Or Ven," he said.

"And that's Terra," Eraqus continued nodding towards the taller, brown haired, blue eyed boy.

Terra only nodded. He looked about a year oler than her, at most, and Ven looked a little younger.

"It's nice to meet you both," Aqua said putting on a smile. "My name is Aqua, as you heard already from Eraqus."

"_Master_ Eraqus," Terra informed.

"Yeah," Ven added, "we're his aprentices. He teaches us about the Keyblade."

Aqua turned to Erauqs. "So why do you need me?" she questioned.

"Xahanort and I believe you might have the ability to wield the Keyblade. If you can, I will take you on as my aprentice."

"Who is Xahanort?"

"The other man you saw."

"So you think that _I _can weild the Keyblade?" she whispered. She had heard stories about the Keyblade, but most of them were legends. All of the characters in the stories were special, that's why they were able to call on the Keyblade's power. Their hearts had to be strong.

"_Maybe_," Eraqus said, cautioning her not to get a big head.

But Aqua wasn't snobby like that. If she felt anything at that particular moment it was shock, or surprise.

"Terra, attack Aqua. _Try_ to make it easy for her to defend herself if she is unale to summon the Keyblade."

Terra nodded and summoned his brown Keyblade. Aqua took a step back, confused.

"Wha-What?!" she asked not believing what she had heard. She looked at Terra for help. Terra shrugged and took a slow swipe of his Keyblade at her. Aqua quickly jumped back and looked at him offended. "Why'd you do that?"

"Well, Master's orders," Terra said jogging over to where she had jumped to, his Keyblade over his shoulder ready to strike.

After a while of Terra swinging uselessly and of Aqua dodging, she stopped a few feet away from Terra and turned to Eraqus. "I really don't think this is going to work," she said her voice wavering slightly. She had really gotten her hopes up that she could be a Keyblade Master, but all those dreams were gone.

"Watch out!" Terra grunted. It seemed he had been chasing her still, even when she had stopped. He was now coming down on her with his Keyblade.

Aqua let out a small squeak of surprise and raised her arms to defend herself. She closed her eyes tightly, but even behind her eyelids she could see the bright flash. When she slowly opened her eyes she gasped. She found Terra's Keyblade blocked by a grayblue one in her hands. Terra showed a cool smile before letting his Keyblade disappear. She turned upon hearing clapping. Behind her, Ven was grinning and clapping. When Aqua caught Eraqus's eye. He smiled and inclined his head. Stunned, Aqua looked down at the Keyblade she held in her hands. With a sigh and a blink of light, it was gone.

"Good job," Ven cheered.

"I will have to let Xahanort know. For some time now he's been asking to leave, but I couldn't release him just yet. Now that I have three aprentices, he may take his leave. Well, that is, if you will become my third aprentice."

Aqua straightened her shoulders. "Of course, Master Eraqus," she said.

"Excellent. I will see you three in the morning for training. Farewell."

"Good bye," the three of us replied in unison.

**AD: Well, that's it. I hoped you guys like it. I kept getting distracted, that's why it took me so long to type. I hope it was worth it, haha. Also, I think I'm gonna skip a bit of time, to let Aqua get the hang of the Keyblade. Then, it'll get interesting. Review! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Change in Routine

**AD: I can't believe how popular this is becoming. Thanks so much to all my reviewers!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

**Enjoy!**

Aqua and Terra sat on one of the many walls around Radiant Gardens. Suddenly, Ven came running over. "Hey, just heard that Master Xahanort will be leaving in a week or so," he panted resting his hands on his knees. "Heh, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he continued upon seeing Terra's eyebrows raise questioningly. "I wouldn't have found out if I didn't, He and Master Eraqus were talking."

"What's he waiting for?" Aqua asked. It had been a week since she had become an apprentice and she was quite close to the two boys and even Master Eraqus. Though, at a time, Master Xahanort helped with training, but, to say the least, he was a closed book.

Terra looked over at her. "Well, he can't just leave without any information. He needs to have _something_ to track. He's not gonna go blind."

Aqua laughed. "Of course, but neither of you have answered _what_ he's looking for exactly."

"His apprentice, who else? Master Eraqus has us three and Master Xahanort has…well, _his_ apprentice," Ven explained.

"Vanitas," Terra corrected.

"Right," Ven continued nodding. "Master Eraqus and Master Xahanort worked with all of us before Vanitas went missing."

"So how long have you two been training with the Keyblade?"

"Terra's been her for, what, ever since he was little? I came when I saw about six. If anyone found out you had a Keyblade, you were immediately brought here. It's rare to find one."

Aqua sighed. "I'll never be as good as you two."

"Don't worry about it," Ven comforted. "I caught up with Terra within a year or so. You'll be beating us before you know it."

Terra pushed Ven lightly. "Oh please, I could whoop you any day."

"Bring it on!" Ven cried laughing.

Terra's face broke into a smile.

Aqua's heart felt light and she laughed as the two began to fight halfheartedly in front of her. She never remembered ever being this happy.

Terra's Keyblade disappeared after he pinned Ven to the ground. "Told you," he said grinning, pleased with himself before coming to sit next to Aqua once again. "So, Aqua, where is it you came from?"

Aqua's grin slowly faded. She looked away, off into the distance. "A place where I didn't belong, you could say. Or, a place that couldn't accept me being me. It wasn't my home. Though I've only been here a week, I feel that this is more of a home than that place could ever be to me."

"Don't talk about it if you don't want to," Ven piped up. Terra nodded in agreement.

Aqua smiled at them. "Thanks."

Terra jumped down from the wall. "What are we doing standing around here like this? Master Eraqus will kill us if we're late, _again_."

Ven jogged after him and Aqua followed after getting down from the wall. "He won't _kill_ us."

"If you don't call a hundred sparrings death, then I don't know what is," Terra replied.

Aqua laughed behind a hand. "You know, Ven, he's right."

"I know," Ven said with a huffy sigh. "I just don't like to face the unavoidable facts."

They jogged up the steps and into the building. They passed Master Xahanort as he was exiting. The three nodded politely to him, he returned the gesture. When they entered, they found Master Eraqus waiting for them.

"You have good timing," he said. "Another minute and a couple laps would be involved with your training today."

They sighed in relief.

Master Eraqus interrupted them. "Terra, I would like you to train with Master Xahanort for now on. That is, until he leaves. Understood?"

Terra nodded. "Understood, Master."

When Terra didn't move, Master Eraqus flapped his hand and him. "Well, go on, he shouldn't be far."

Terra nodded and left.

"As for the two of you, come, we have some techniques to work on."

"Will we someday be Masters like him and Master Xahanort?" Aqua whispered to Ven as they followed Master Eraqus to the training room.

Ven nodded. "That's our goal, as far away as it seems. The reason Master Eraqus doesn't actually train with us is because even if he goes 'easy' on us, he'll still probably kill us."

Aqua sighed and asked, "So is that why Terra training with Master Xahanort?"

"Master Eraqus might not have much more to teach him…and Master Xahanort _is_ stronger than him so he probably knows more, too."

"That does make sense. Ugh, I wish we could all just be equal, you know, in strength."

Ven nodded thoughtfully as they turned into the training room. "I'll talk to Master Eraqus," he said.

"Are you sure about that?" Aqua asked. "You know he'll only intensify everything."

Ven grinned reassuringly at her. "Don't worry; I want to be stronger, too." He looked down at his hands which clenched into fists. "I'm tired of him always beating me."

They stood in the center of the room. Ven and Aqua turned toward Master Eraqus who was shutting the door behind them. When he turned around and saw that Ven and Aqua weren't already warming up, he raised an eyebrow. "What is it?" he asked.

"We're tired of being outranked by Terra," Ven said, his voice strong even though he was nervous for what the days ahead of them would hold if Master Eraqus agreed. "We want to be stronger."

Master Eraqus looked at his two apprentices standing so surely in front of him. Their eyes were filled with a strange light of determination that he had never seen before. He chuckled putting the two off guard. "Do you know what you would be putting yourselves into?"

Before Ven could answer, Aqua did, which surprised Master Eraqus. "We fully know what we'd be getting ourselves into and we want this. Ven and I want to be an even three so that one is no better than the other."

"We promise!" Ven pleaded, "We'll do whatever you say and we won't slack off!"

Master Eraqus thought over this and what he was going to say next extremely carefully. He wasn't sure they could hold equal power, but if that was what they wanted, he would try and give it to them. "Your powers are different and not meant to be equal. They could _never_ be equal," Master Eraqus said shaking his head slowly, knowing he would not persuade the two otherwise after seeing the look of determination did not leave their eyes. "_But_, depending on how you use them, you might be equal to one another," he added.

"We'll do _anything_," Aqua said.

"We're not weak. We can handle your training," Ven added.

Master Eraqus smiled slowly. "Good. Then, I must say, we have some training to do."

**AD: I love this chapter! I don't know why, but I really like the ending. Maybe because of the song I was listening to while I typed it. Birth by Sleep: Final Vanitas Battle. Man, I **_**love**_** that song! Listen to it if you have a chance to. It is very inspirational. **

**Thanks for reading! Review please!**


	4. His Heart

**AD: Hmm…You know what? I think things are gonna get interesting starting after this chapter. As in, I think they'll start going to new worlds. I hope you guys are ok with that.**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

**Enjoy!**

"Again," Master Eraqus called from the other side of the training room. Aqua and Ven groaned. Twenty-five minutes they had been working on this move, Aqua had counted. Master Eraqus walked over. "Aqua," he continued exasperatedly, "do you understand that you must put force behind your blows? You won't hit Ven; your job is to defend. If he gets hit, it's his own fault. As his Keyblade strikes yours, he will lean on it, roll off of it, and end up behind you."

Breathing heavily, Aqua nodded.

"Try again, please," Master Eraqus said stepping back to give them space.

After a few blocks, Ven's Keyblade stayed on Aqua's only a second longer before leaning on it and rolling off. He landed in a crouched position behind Aqua, his Keyblade across his chest, prepared to attack.

Master Eraqus clapped. "Perfect! That's what I was saying. You see Aqua, when you practice like you would fight you learn a lot more. Right there, Ven used your own force against you so that he could have a chance at an attack at your unprotected back."

They tried again with Aqua attacking. They aced it on the first try.

"Very good," Master Eraqus praised. "I want eight laps in your spare time, between now and tomorrow."Aqua and Ven groaned. "What was that? You want the ninth lap?"

"No, Master Eraqus," Aqua said quickly. Ven shook his head.

"Good, now, we'll meet again tomorrow as always. You two are dismissed."

Aqua and Ven nodded. Five minutes past the usual time, but it was nice to finally be released. They met Terra outside just down the stone steps. He laughed when he spotted them.

"So you're finally done?" he asked. It had been a week since training had increase for Aqua and Ven. Terra knew now to expect more after every session, though he didn't fully know that they had changed their training. For all he knew, Master Eraqus had simply added a few more exercises.

"Yes," Aqua sighed before laughing.

"I guess Master Eraqus really brought the heat down on you guys after I left. It never takes you a week to get used to a new routine."

Ven opened his mouth to speak, but Aqua silenced him with a glance. She smiled at Terra. "I guess that means we'll have to start working harder. Isn't that right, Ven?" She gave him a look that said: 'Answer this right, or there's gonna be trouble'.

Ven gulped and nodded. "Yeah, especially you, Aqua. It took you forever to learn that move. My arms were getting sore by near the end there. I wasn't sure I was gonna make it," he replied laughing.

Aqua blushed when she received a look from Terra. "What? It usually doesn't take you long to master a move. I should know. I remember that one move I taught you, you learned it within minutes."

She shrugged. "I guess I need more work at it then." That put a smile on Terra's face. "Well, we better get started on those laps, huh, Ven?"

Ven sighed, but nodded. "Sure, sure, I guess so…"

Terra laughed at them. "Did Master Eraqus threaten you guys with the Nightmare Nine?"

"Yes…he almost caught us in complaining, but luckily he didn't make us run the ninth lap," Aqua explained.

"I _hate_ the Nightmare Nine," Ven exclaimed throwing his arms into the air. "Of course, I hate doing any extra work, really, but you run the first eight laps, then, as you run the ninth, you think: _Man, I really could've prevented this extra lap if I only I had not complained to Master Eraqus_."

Terra ruffled Ven's blonde spikes. "That's the point of the Nightmare Nine, Dummy." He sighed. "Well, Master Xahanort is leaving today. He finally found a clue to the whereabouts of Vanitas. Looks like I'll be back with you guys. That is, unless, Master Eraqus has other plans."

"How was it working with him?" Aqua questioned.

Terra looked up at the clouds. "I dunno…not like Master Eraqus's training, faster paced, but Master Xahanort, he's…different. It's hard to explain actually. I feel as I learned a lot more, to sum it all up."

"Well, that's a good thing," Ven said.

"Who knows, maybe the three of us will be taking the Master Qualification exams," Terra said a strange smile on his face.

"What's that?" Aqua asked.

Terra turned to her. "What's what?"

"The Master Qualification exams."

Ven laughed and Terra's smile was replaced with a slight frown. "We never mentioned it to you before," Aqua shook her head slowly. "It's when they test you to become a Master of the Keyblade," Terra explained.

Aqua smiled. "Is it possible for all three of us to make it at once?"

Terra shrugged. "If we're really all equal, I guess there's a slim chance."

Ven grinned and wrapped his arms around his two friends' shoulders. "Don't worry about it, guys. We got this one in the bag. By the end of a couple months we could all be Keyblade Masters!" he exclaimed.

"By your work ethic, you'll never make Master," Terra snickered.

Ven smiled and shook his head.

Terra ducked under Ven's arm and backed away. "Well, if you two will you excuse me, my break is over. I have a mandatory meeting with Master Xahanort."

Ven removed his arm from around Aqua and frowned. "Really? Didn't you just finish?"

Terra looked over his shoulder at them. "He told me to take a quick break before meeting him by the platform by the waterfall. So, with that, I take my leave," he said smiling before leaving. Terra walked away from his friends, leaving them with questions still in their eyes. He felt bad about not explaining it better to them, but Xahanort had advised against it. Again, the man filled him with his own questions.

When he reached the platform, Terra found Master Xahanort with his back to him, his hands clasped behind his back, and as normally, hunched over. Terra always wondered how this frail looking man could really be a Keyblade Master…but he had shown it many times during this one week with him. His knowledge was vast over the Keyblade, which only added to his power. For a long couple of minutes, they stood just like that, no one saying or doing anything. Finally, Master Xahanort turned to him.

"You need to know this, Terra. You and I both know that you hold _much_ more power than your other two friends, Aqua and Ventus. You could _easily_ gain the title of Master," Master Xahanort said harshly as he turned around to eye Terra. "But there is one thing that could put an obstacle in your path." He walked over to stand in front of Terra. "I have studied the three of you with a careful eye and I have come to my personal conclusion. Aqua and Ventus have light that is too strong, it will just make the darkness inside you more apparent," he continued poking Terra's chest with a finger.

Terra's eyes narrowed. That was that. They had discussed this before and, at first, Terra took it terribly. Luckily, he knew how to take out his feelings through his training. Now, he accepted it. He had to, what else was there to do? He couldn't change the path of his heart.

"What do I do now?" he asked.

Master Xahanort patted his arm and looked off into the distance. "Travel the worlds!" he exclaimed starting to walk away again. His eyes narrowed and his outstretched hand clenched when he was turned away from Terra. "And destroy the ones who disturb the balance," he continued quieter. Terra's brows furrowed in frustration. "I leave today in order to hopefully end a journey that began a long time ago. Your journey, on the other hand, is only just beginning."

"Who are the ones that disturb the peace?" Terra asked.

"Your paths will cross, or they already have. Remember what I told you, that darkness in your heart is not a casualty. Use it to its highest advantages. Take hold of that great power you wield, control, and use it instead of trying to act like it doesn't exist. That will get you nowhere." He walked back to Terra and put both of his hands on Terra's shoulders. "If you keep ignoring the darkness in your heart, like you have been, your friends will equal and surpass you like that," he said snapping. "Darkness is power just like everything your training's been giving you. It's not bad to use power you've been giving. Maybe I will see you as I finish up my own journey. Think my words over carefully. Farewell, Terra." With that, Master Xahanort left Terra to ponder his words.

**AD: Ugh, that was really hard to right. I hope I did ok. I was trying to decipher what was being said in the Japanese cutscene. Please let me know if it was ok. Thanks for reading. Review, too! Thanks!**


	5. The Journey Begins

**AD: I hope I can get to some new worlds in the chapter, if not then I'll have you guys pick which one they should go to in the next chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

Aqua and Ven looked up as Terra came towards them. They hadn't gone far from where they had last seen him. The two jumped off of the wall they had been sitting on and jogged over to Terra.

"How'd it go?" Aqua asked.

"You didn't get in trouble, did you?" Ven asked misreading Terra's thoughtful frown.

Terra shook his head. "No, but I think I'll be leaving for a bit."

"What?!" Aqua and Ven exclaimed in unison.

"Why are you leaving?" Aqua continued for both her and Ven.

Terra shrugged. "I just think it would be a good chance to train. Also, I'm curious to see what Master Xahanort is up to."

Aqua raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't he just looking for his apprentice?"

"I think there's more. A lot more. He knows something…something Master Eraqus doesn't even understand or maybe…he doesn't even know…"

Ven looked at him funny. "Please," he scoffed, "Master Eraqus wouldn't let Master Xahanort hide something from him."

"I'm not so sure," Terra said shaking his head at Ven. "He seems like a guy that wouldn't believe that something bad was going on even if it was right in front of him, but Master Xahanort…he seems like the kind of guy that would look like he was fixing it, but in the end, maybe he was the one causing it."

It was Ven's turn to shake his head. "I still think you're thinking too much, Terra."

"Where are you going to go?" Aqua asked quietly.

Terra looked over at her. "To the other worlds. Master Xahanort said something disturbing the balance. I want to see what he was talking about."

"I'm in," Aqua said smiling.

Ven looked between them, his mouth open in disbelief. "You just taking Master Xahanort's bait!" he cried. "I bet he just wants you to get occupied so _his_ apprentice can gain Master status."

Terra and Aqua looked at him surprise.

Ven suddenly sighed. "Fine, you guys can count me in, too. I mean, we're a team, right?"

Terra, who was going to question both Aqua and Ven, smiled. "Yeah, we'll find out what's threatening the worlds and put a stop to it."

"And while we're out there," Aqua added, "we'll find out what Master Xahanort's up to."

Ven put his hand between them. "Let's do it," he said seriously.

Aqua smiled at him and rested her hand on top of his before looking up at Terra questioningly.

Terra nodded and put his hand on top. "Yeah, though it's probably wise if we split up. We'll be able to search more worlds that way." Aqua and Ven nodded their agreement.

When their hands dropped Master Eraqus found them. "What's this I'm hearing?" he asked. "You want to go to the other worlds, do you?"

Terra bowed slightly to him. "Yes, Master, with your permission, of course."

Master Eraqus nodded solemnly. "I believe it will do your training some good if you actually got some combat experience outside of this world. Just make sure you drop in now and again. Take this," he said handing them something. "Put it on your armor and you will be able to use it to go to different worlds." The three did as they were told. They put the device on the armor on their left arms. "I hope that helps." They nodded.

"Thank you, Master," Aqua said.

Master Eraqus nodded and left them saying, "Be careful, especially of the creatures you will find. Be ever wary of Master Xahanort if you _are _able to find him and see what he is up to. I am not blind to his actions."

Aqua and Ven turned to look up at Terra who closed his eyes and looked away.

"Farewell, my apprentices. Do not loose yourselves."

They looked at each other, equally confused in their Master's words.

**AD: I believe I will end it there. I hoped you like it, though I apologize for the shortness! I really couldn't think of anything else to add without sending them already to a new world. I'll continue that in the next chapter. Thanks for reading! Review, please, and tell me where Aqua, Terra, and Ven should go next chapter, separate worlds, remember! Thank you!**


	6. Author's Note

**AD: Hey everyone, I'm typing this chapter to let everyone know that I might not be updating for a while. My friend, ****..sLaYeR., and I are working on a show for YouTube for Organization 13. If you're interested, we would love if you would be willing to take a look at it. We are buying wigs at the moment and hope to have the first episode up in a few weeks. I'll probably post another Author's Note chapter to let all who are interested know when we have the first episode up and running. **

**I hope you're all as eager to see how it turns out as we are, haha. Stay tuned to see more updates of when it'll be up.**

**Again, really sorry if there aren't very many updates. I'll try to type when I can. I'll still read other stories so I will still be around. Hope you guys understand!**

**Thanks for reading! Review with your thoughts and/or any ideas you would like to offers.**


	7. New Worlds

**AD: Sorry for the long wait. I hope this new chapter will make up for it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

**Thanks to J1210 for giving some ideas. I'll use some of them. So, thanks!**

Ven looked around the strange new world. He stood in a metal tube that seemed to act as a hallway. Out of a small window, he saw the black sky along with stars and planets. He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Where am I?" he asked thoughtfully. Suddenly, there was a commotion further along the hall. Ven peered around the corner and was roughly knocked back by a strange, dark blue creature. "Watch it!" he cried, turning to where the creature had disappeared only to be pushed aside by other creatures of different colors. They actually looked a lot like _aliens_. "What's going _on_?"

"Sorry sir," a rather fat alien sad as he stopped for a breather. "My newest experiment got loose. My apologies."

"_Experiment_?" Ven asked.

"Yes, Experiment 626."

"And you are?" Ven continued raising an eyebrow.

"I'm Jumba, and if you'll excuse me, I have an experiment to catch," the large four-eyed alien said jogging after the others.

Ven stared after him. "Uhh, good luck."

Out of nowhere but the ceiling, the little blue alien appeared, landing in front of Ven.

"Hel…Hello," it said really concentrating.

Ven tried to keep himself from laughing at the cute little thing even thought it had four arms and antennas. "Hi," he replied.

"My…name is…6…26."

"I'm Ven."

_~*~_

Aqua stood in awe in front of the large building in front of her. It seemed like a coliseum. She eyed the sand beneath her shoes. She turned around and found two large doors opened to some stairs that led down to a village. Suddenly, a bunch of shadowy monster appeared out of darkness and stood in front of her. She gasped and immediately, her Keyblade came to her hand. Small hooves hitting the sand could be heard behind her. Aqua turned to see a small goat man not even coming up to her waste running and stopping in front of her almost trying to defend her.

"Watch out!" he cried.

Aqua stared at him curiously, eying him and the monster at the same time.

He turned to her. "Don't worry, I'll protect you!" he said pointing a finger at himself.

Her brows furrowed at him, but tightened her grip on her Keyblade, doubting the goat-man could defend both of them at the same time.

The monster banged its shield like hands together, intimidating.

The goat-man dropped his confident pose and took a couple steps back before running back from where he came from. "Run!" he cried. "Save yourself!"

A young man dressed in white and sandals ran passed the goat-man and paused next to Aqua. She looked over at him, but he only glared up at the monster. Together, the two strangers fought, Aqua with her Keyblade and the boy with his own bare hands. At first, he only seemed like dead weight to Aqua as she singlehandedly fought the monster, until one of its large shield-like hands knocked her clear off of her feet. Aqua squeezed her eyes closed as it prepared for its final blow. The boy knocked the monster away and quickly finished it off. He walked back to Aqua and helped her back to her feet.

"Thanks, kid," the goat-man said, calmly walking back. "You have some talent, uhh, what's your name?"

Aqua smiled at him. "It's Aqua."

He reached up and grasped her hand firmly in two of his. "Phil."

"Did you see us?!" the boy exclaimed. "We were great! We kicked that Heartless's butt real good."

Aqua nodded at him. "We make a good team," she added quietly.

"Great?" Phil questioned dangerously. "You were _good_, kid. Don't overdo it. You still need more training if you ask me."

He sighed. "Yeah…I know. It's always more training, but I'll do anything. I'm gonna be a hero some day after all." He looked up at Aqua. "My name's Hercules, by the way."

"Nice to meet you."

_~*~_

A small Heartless scurried along the bridge. Terra came down on it with his Keyblade, destroying it. Master Xahanort had already taught him about the Heartless, they stole hearts and had to be destroyed upon sight. He looked up and studied the castle further along the stone bridge.

Only a few feet away from him was an older woman dressed in black and holding a staff with a small green sphere on top. She also stared up at the castle. Terra slowly walked up to her. She spotted him out of the corner of her green eyes. "Who are you?" she asked as she turned to face him. "I can feel the power within you. What is your name, boy?"

"Terra," he said gruffly, "but power? I am merely an apprentice. Who are you?"

"I am the great Maleficent," she said gracefully, placing a delicate, clawed hand on her chest. "Do not be so modest, _boy_. You have power, don't deny it."

Terra disregarded her remark. "What is this place?" he questioned.

"This in Enchanted Dominion," she explained.

Terra paused before speaking. "How can you tell if I have any power at all?"

Maleficent walked back towards him. "I know magic; it's easy to feel that you have power, especially since it is the dark kind. I can show you if you want." She extended a hand out for him. "What do you say, _Terra_?"

He hesitated, his hand itching to accept the help. In the end, Terra walked past the woman coolly. "I think I'll find my power on my own, thank you."

"Well then, I'm always around somewhere," Maleficent hissed before waving her cloak around her and disappearing in green flames.

Terra frowned, but continued his path toward the castle.

**AD: Well, I hope you guys liked it. It took a while to get it all together. Oh, sorry if I didn't get some characters down, like Stitch. Hope you guys liked it!**

**Review please!**

**The button's right here! ^^;**


	8. The Coliseum

**AD: I'm so happy! I'm on a huge breakthrough with this story! I'm glad you're all liking it. I'll try to follow as much of the storyline as I can, but on a lot of it, I'm making it up as I go. So enjoy the new chapter!**

**Disclaimer: See prologue.**

Ven looked around the tunnel/hallway nervously, trying to keep from looking at the blue creature eying him curiously with his big eyes. "Uh, so…why are you still here?" Ven asked carefully.

"Friend?"

"Uh, I don't know…" Ven said rubbing the back of his neck. "So why were those guys chasing you?"

626 looked down at his four sets of claws folded over his stomach. "Not friends…"

Ven finally looked at 626. "Why?"

626 never got the chance to answer. A rather large alien appeared from around the corner. It was much bigger than the others Ven had seen just a few minutes ago.

"There it is," he roared in his deep voice. "There's experiment 626."

"Are you sure, Gantu?" another alien asked coming up behind with a bunch of others.

"Yes I'm sure. Get him," Gantu snapped. The alien squeaked and ran toward Ven and 626. Gantu pinched the area between his eyes. "That fool, Jumba, will pay for this."

"Gotta run!" 626 cried waving at Ven before running off down the hallway.

Once again, Ven was pushed against the rounded wall of the hall as other aliens rushed by. He sighed when they had all disappeared around the corner. "Well, it doesn't look like much is disturbing the balance here," he sighed. Ven smiled. "Except for a little blue alien, but other than that…nothing. I guess I should search another world. Maybe I'll come back for a visit to see how things are." He touched the piece of armor on his arm. The same color armor covered his body and he warped into the bike that had the ability to take him from world to world.

_~*~_

"So Aqua, you seem like the type of girl who could enter the games," Phil said as he, Hercules, and Aqua sat on the steps in front of the coliseum.

"What are the games?" Aqua asked curiously.

"It's where heroes fight monsters in a tournament!" Hercules said standing and punching the air. "It's for the best of the best. Sometimes some heroes fight against each other."

Phil nodded at him. "Uh huh, and I think you got potential, Aqua."

"Really? Well, I don't know…" Aqua said looking off at the houses beyond the doors with lightning bolts carved on them.

"And who knows, maybe you could even beat Herc here," Phil said motioning towards the boy.

"Hey!" Hercules cried glaring half-heartedly at his teacher. "You gotta give me more credit than that, Phil."

_I guess it _would_ be good for some training,_ Aqua thought. "Ok, I'll give it a shot."

"I'll fill out an entry form for ya," Phil said walking back and forth in front of Hercules and Aqua. "I could even give you some extra trainin' if ya want."

"Phil! How come you were so unwilling to help _me_ out before?" Hercules exclaimed standing up.

"You were annoying me," Phil said waving him off. "She's in a completely different league from you. Didn't you see her fight?"

"I'll give the tournament a shot," Aqua said standing up as well.

"Then we'll start off with training right a-"

"I'll pass on the training," Aqua interrupted a polite as possible.

"Hmph, let's see how far you'll get without famous Phil's training. Good luck, kid. I'll go fill out your forms. Let me know when you're ready."

_*_

"The finals are up next, right?" Aqua asked. She had just made her way through the rounds, knocking Heartless right and left. The three of them were just exiting the Coliseum for a little break before the final round. "I'm pretty sure my final opponent's name was Za-"she was cut off as she turned to face her two new friends when a new one was thrust right in front of hers.

"You're Aqua, right?" he asked rather loudly and excitedly still not moving. "I'm Zack! You're final opponent. Alright! If I win this one, I'll make hero for sure!"

"You want to be a hero, too?" Aqua asked taking a hesitant step back looking over at Hercules. "This tournament's taking a lot longer than I thought," she muttered under her breath walking away towards the coliseum.

"If you don't continue with the tournament, it'll be the second tournament in a row where the participants I've entered bailed out on me, and my pride'll suffer big time," Phil whined.

"I want you to continue, too!" Zack called from across the sandy area.

Aqua thought this over. Though it wasn't much training and wasn't near the intensity of her normal workout, she decided it be worth a shot. After all, it _was_ fun. "Fine. I'll fight until the end."

"Really?" Phil asked. "That's great to hear!"

"Zack and Aqua's big match! This is something I can't miss!" Hercules cried.

"Herc, you'll be continuing your training," Phil said over his shoulder as he entered the Coliseum lobby.

"Man…good luck, Zack and Aqua! See ya!" Hercules said running off towards the city.

Zack walked over to Aqua. "Aqua, let the best fighter win."

Aqua nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Alright! I'm totally pumped!" he cried swinging his arms and lowering himself into a squat.

"So why do you want to become a hero?" Aqua asked watching him as he continued with his squats.

"In the past, I was used by a guy named Hades in the games. I was manipulated by his tactics and I used some strange strength…I actually fought Hercules on his first time in the games. He released me from Hades's grasp and ever since, I want to have that kind of power in order to help others. Maybe even beat Hades himself one day." He stopped his squats and looked away. Suddenly, Zack grinned at her. "Well, flashback over. I'll be waiting for you in the arena, ok?" he asked patting her on the shoulder and heading over to the Coliseum.

Aqua nodded. Before she knew it, she was walking towards Zack in the arena, a sword on his back.

"Watch out!" Zack called. "I'm stronger than when I fought Herc. Another loss is not exceptional!"

"I won't go easy on you," Aqua warned, her Keyblade appearing in her right hand. "Here I come!"

They flew at each other, both weapons raised to strike. Keyblade met sword with a deafening crash. Both gritted their teeth at the other's strength.

"You're stronger than you look," Zack muttered pushing harder on his sword.

"Augh, right…back atcha," Aqua said growling under the intense pressure in her arms. Then she remembered Master Eraqus. She rolled off of Zack's sword, ever wary of the edges, and came into position behind him.

"What the-"Zack exclaimed and grunted as Aqua's Keyblade came in contact with his stomach. He tried to get back up, but only fell onto his back once again. "Aw! I lost!" he cried. "It seems the path to warrior-hood is still pretty long, huh? I guess I should probably work on my strategy."

Aqua smiled at him and offered a hand. "You're strength is fabulous, but charging into a battle isn't always the best move."

A puff of smoke interrupted them. Once it cleared, a blue man in a black robe stood there.

"Geez, I come to see what kind of a guy the new big shot was…but it's just some lanky little girl!" he said crossing his arms over his chest and leaning over so that his face was only inches from Aqua's.

"Hades!" Zack growled.

The man frowned and turned on Zack. "What's this? I thought there was a noisy fly buzzin' in my ear, but it's just you."

"Who's a fly!?" Zack challenged.

"So you're Hades," Aqua said, her eyes narrowing, "the one who manipulated Zack." Zack appeared at her side, still glaring at Hades.

Hades turned on them. "Well, well, so you know this cowardly brat, do you?"

Aqua looked over at Zack. "He's my friend. I heard he broke through your grasp. He's no coward."

"Hmm, I wonder about that," Hades said thoughtfully. "It was the brat himself that told me he wanted the power. For what, I didn't ask."

"That's not true-"Aqua looked at Zack who looked away quickly.

"But when the time came, the brat got scared." Hades's skin turned orange and the flames on his head turned green, before returning to their normal blue. "If that's no cowardice, then what is? Or would you like to show me your bravery instead?" he asked offering a hand to Aqua.

"I have no interest in your darkness," she objected turning away slightly.

"A straight answer, huh? I've hit a dead end again," Hades said retracting his arm slowly. "Oh well, we'll fight after this anyways. Gotta stick to the rules, right? And then I'll give ya a good taste of the power of darkness!" He laughed wildly before smoke consumed him once more and he was gone.

"Wait, Hades!" Zack cried running to where the blue man had disappeared. His fists clenched. "If I would've won, then I would be fighting him." He turned to Aqua and walked back over to her, resting both hands on her shoulders. "Aqua, take revenge for me, please! I just wanted to be a hero."

Aqua smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Will do."

**AD: I hope you guys liked it. It took a while, but I promise to show the fight between Aqua and Hades next chapter. Then, I'll show which world Ven went to. Next, they'll go back to Master Eraqus. I hope you guys like that plan. Please review! Thanks!**


	9. Author's Note Again

**Author's Note**

**The Show!**

**AD: Hey guys! I've got great news! Well, first of all, I have to apologize for this second Author's note. I **_**am**_** working on the story, I just wanted to let you guys know that our show intro is in fact up. To get to our YouTube Channel, first search: .com, then click our YouTube Channel link to get to it.**

**I am dressed up as Demyx since I am the only one to have the wig. My friend, ****..sLaYeR., helped style it. She has the Mickey hat on. The boy at the left end is my brother.**

**If you guys would like to check it out, please do! And we would love it if you left a comment and emailed us with some questions for our first actual show which we hope to come out better. It would really help us out if you emailed us some questions.**

**Thanks for your help!**

**See ya!**

**P.S. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can!**


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